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Trump blames Iran stance
At the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, President Donald Trump said Italy “ci ha rifiutato aiuto nella guerra contro l'Iran,” adding that Germany and France “ci hanno voltato le spalle” as he spoke alongside Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
“L'Italia ci ha rifiutato aiuto nella guerra contro l'Iran”
Trump said his relationship with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni “si è inasprito” because she “si è rifiutata di essere coinvolta nello Stretto di Hormuz o con l'Iran in generale,” while he also said “Giorgia Meloni? È una brava persona.”
In a separate account of Trump’s remarks, CNN said Trump told reporters that his relationship with Meloni “soured” over disagreements about Iran and that she “made a mistake.”
NBC News reported Trump arrived in Turkey for a summit meeting with NATO leaders, with the article describing concern that his resentment over loyalty and military spending could fracture the alliance.
Meloni feud and NATO
Trump also sought to soften the feud, with Firstpost quoting him saying, “I think she’s a nice person, actually,” while describing their relationship as having “became a little bad because she refused to help us.”
Firstpost said the dispute intensified after Trump shared an image on Truth Social with the caption “Restraining Order Needed,” showing Trump standing in front of Meloni as she looked up at him smiling.
Time Magazine said Trump posted an image on Truth Social showing Meloni looking up at the American President, with the words “restraining order needed” printed across the top, and noted that Meloni had not yet publicly responded.
Time Magazine also reported that Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani told an Italian news channel, “We are convinced that transatlantic relations go far beyond individual statements,” while Interior Minister Matteo Salvini said he “won’t comment on these things anymore.”
What’s at stake next
Trump’s Iran-related complaints were tied to broader NATO dynamics, with NBC News describing NATO leaders as worried that his resentment over their loyalty and military spending will fracture the alliance.
“worried that his resentment over their loyalty and military spending will fracture the alliance”
In the same Ankara context, Today said Trump told reporters he was “molto deluso dalla Nato” and said that if the summit “non si fosse tenuto in Turchia” he might not have attended.
For Italy, the dispute over Iran support and the Strait of Hormuz also intersected with questions of access and logistics, with Time Magazine recalling Trump’s earlier claim that Meloni “wouldn’t even let us use Italy’s landing strips or runways.”
As the NATO summit in Ankara approached, Time Magazine said the leaders were expected to travel to Ankara for the NATO Summit, which it dated as taking place July 7-8, and it described the post as reopening a dispute between the two leaders ahead of the meeting.